Onyx Boox Nova vs Kobo Forma

These two e-readers have a fair bit in common. The Onyx Boox Nova and Kobo Forma basically have the same screen size and you get a good ebook experience with 300 PPI. There is no SD card on either of the two devices, so you have to make do. The Forma has two different storage options: 8GB and 32GB, while the Nova just has a 32GB version. What e-reader is better? Read on to find out.

The Kobo Forma has a giant 8 inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1440 × 1920 and 300 PPI. Many e-readers are using Carta HD or Mobius for the screens, but Kobo is using both. Now you might be wondering, how is this e-reader using two different screen technologies at the same time? The spec sheet for the Forma mentions that it uses both Mobius and Carta HD. Like most display technologies, E Ink displays use an active matrix thin film transistor (TFT) backplane. The TFT backplane is an array of transistors that are typically deposited on a piece of glass. These transistors control each pixel on the display. The layer on top of the TFT backplane determines the actual display type (e.g. E Ink, LCD, OLED, etc.). In the case of E Ink, this layer contains the actual ink particles that creates the image. The Carta technology is the latest version of this layer and determines the optical properties, such as contrast ratio. The Mobius technology replaces the glass TFT backplane with a flexible plastic TFT backplane. This plastic backplane is thinner, lighter and stronger than glass backplanes. This in turn enables Kobo Forma’s lightweight and ergonomic design. Kobo claims that by using Mobius the e-reader is 15% lighter than the Kobo Aura One and weighs 197g.

Underneath the hood is a Freescale/NXP IMX6 Solo Lite 1 GHZ processor. It has 512MB of RAM and has two different storage options, 8GB and 32GB. The 32GB version initially will only be available in Japan, but it should have wider availability in more markets next year. Choosing the right storage option is important, because the Forma does not have expandable storage via an SD card. It also has a power button and USB port for charging.

The Onyx Boox Nova feature a giant 7.8 inch E-Ink Carta HD screen with a resolution of 1872×1404 and 300PPI. It has a color temperature system so you can read in the dark. The display is not as good as the Kobo Forma, but the hardware is more powerful.

Underneath the hood is a 1.6GHZ quad core processor and there is 2GB of RAM, so in conjunction with the processor it will handle most apps with ease. Speaking of apps, the Nova is running Android 6.0, so it is compatible with almost every major app out there, such as Goodreads, Overdrive or Kindle. Meanwhile the Forma is running Linux.

The major selling points of the Forma is that it has Overdrive built right in and you can borrow library books with ease. It also has a great bookstore, so you can buy ebooks right on the device. The Nova is running Android, so you will have to find your own ecosystem to buy books, but this is an advantage because you can deal with multiple retailers, instead of only one.

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.

One boring overpriced device vs another. No one wins. 8″ devices should be <$100 by now. We need more competition in this market.

Heidi Steindel

I agree, way too expensive at least on the Forma.

Bart_at_EB

The big-screen e-readers aren’t for everybody, but for those who need them, they are worth the money. This is a niche market, so I wouldn’t wait for the insane competition that characterizes smartphones and tablets.

Bart_at_EB

Michael, like many techies, over-emphasizes the importance of hardware. You can have the most powerful hardware in the world, but if it’s not part of an easy-to-use ecosystem, it is not going to mean much to the vast majority of users.

I dislike Amazon, but I have to admit they have a brilliant eco-system. It’s fast and convenient and has good support. I prefer Kobo, and their eco-system has greatly improved. I love their inclusion of Overdrive and Pocket.

Heidi Steindel

Boox also uses amazon but I did not see this model there

Heidi Steindel

Same here I love overdrive and pocket but I love how you can read and listen with audiobooks at the same time with amazon. i wish KOBO would adapt that technology

Bart_at_EB

Me too! I’m waiting for the next large-screen Kobo with audio built in.

Shad Apkant

8″ is not a “big screen”.

Bart_at_EB

I have a 6.8″ Kobo Aura HD, which is about right for almost all my reading. Anything bigger I would consider a “big screen” ereader. I also have a Kindle DX with 9.7″ screen, which is great for PDFs, but I don’t use it much. Too big gets to be awkward.

Sportbike Mike

I have an older model Boox Reader and Boox is it if you deal with PDFs. Besides that, my Kindle is better in every regard.

Sportbike Mike

If you want a <$100 8 inch device, the Fire HD8 has you covered. If you don't want to stress your eyes, deal with the price. These devices are not using 100 dollar tech.

Sportbike Mike

If you see someone who is advertising that, they just want to take your crowdfunding money and run.

Luciano Marquez

Hi, Michael in other pages I saw that this device supports a sd card of 128 gb, could it be? thamks

Michal @VisualStudio

Kobo Forma has better diplay

– No ? Really? Is the difference really so big ? (please)
– Since I changed my mind for a very between the model and I chose BOOX because I thought it would have a better display. “BOOX Nova” I have already been on, is on the road, did I make a mistake?
– I ordered the BOOX Nova PRO version, but it changes nothing? Because NOTE PRO has the same screen no?
The most important thing for me is mainly the contrast and purity of the writing.* I thought that BOOX when I see the prices, I can make or install a high-quality screen, in addition to the new device, I really have a bad luck.

– Yeah, I don’t forget, thank you very much for your article, it’s great !!

John Hind

Michael – Any chance you could cover the experience of using Boox devices with Kobo and Kindle content? Since Boox is Android, presumably one can install the Kobo and Kindle apps and access content that way, but what is that experience like? Is it possible to purchase and download the content through the apps and then read them using the Boox reader so the note taking features are available?

If it was possible to use a Boox device to access both Kobo and Kindle content on the same device, and without complex/legally questionable steps to get around DRM, that would be a very attractive selling feature, but I just cannot find the information to give me the confidence to decide on a purchase.